


Lost and Found

by Myrime



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Confessions, Don't copy to another site, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Peter Parker, M/M, Nightmares, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Tony Stark, Superfamily, stevetony week 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-05-07 04:24:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19201834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myrime/pseuds/Myrime
Summary: Peter has a nightmare. Since Tony is not there, it is up to Steve to make him feel safe.





	Lost and Found

**Author's Note:**

> For the [stevetony week](https://stony-week.tumblr.com/) day 5: confessions.  
> Enjoy!

The bed is too empty with only Steve in it. It is late but he is never able to sleep well when Tony is not there. They have established a routine of going to bed together, even if Tony gets up again later to get in some more hours in the workshop. Those first hours of the night are theirs, just like they drink their first coffee of the day together. These small things make their life together sometimes seem too good to be true.

So Steve is reading in bed when a sudden sense of wrongness overcomes him. Looking up, he startles when he finds Peter standing in the door to their bedroom, eyes red-rimmed, his hand clenched around his teddy. He is wearing one of Tony’s shirts and absolutely swims in it.

Steve is immediately worried. He loves Peter but he does not know how to deal with children. Usually, Peter is happy and full of cheer, always ready to explore the world. He seldom needs entertainment and often seems older than he is, already so smart. The world still is too big at times, especially for a five-year-old.

“What’s up, buddy?” Steve asks in a gentle tone, sitting up in bed. He has to hold himself back from jumping right to his feet to look for danger. Panic will likely not make Peter any less upset. “Why aren’t you in bed?”

Peter shuffles forward, just a small step. “Where’s Dad?” His voice sounds choked on tears and the kind of pure _need_ that has Steve’s chest constricting.

Tony once confessed to Steve that he is terrified of being a bad father. From Steve’s point of view, that notion is ridiculous. Peter is everything to Tony. It does not matter how stressful things are at Stark Industries, how much work Tony has to do, how many deadlines he has to meet, he always takes time for Peter.

It has taken an eternity for Tony to leave Steve alone with Peter. Not necessarily out of distrust, but mostly because he did not want Peter to think he was getting tired of him, leaving him with strangers.

The more important it is for Steve to not mess things up now.

“Tony has to work tonight, remember?” Steve says, putting an emphasis on _work_. That is something Peter understands. No matter his young age, the workshop is already his favourite place. It is where the magic happens. “Aunt Pepper dragged him out earlier because he was trying to get out of it.”

Steve’s admittedly weak attempt at humour does not elicit as much as a twitch on Peter’s face. Instead, he crosses his arms in front of him, hugging his teddy close.

“I want my dad,” Peter exclaims unhappily.

Steve can practically hear new tears spring to the child’s eyes. With measures movements, Steve turns to put his feet on the ground. He does not get up yet, unsure whether he should perhaps wait for Peter to come to him.

“What happened?” Steve asks. When Tony left, Peter had already been sleeping soundly. Nothing particularly upsetting had happened this day either. “Did you have a bad dream?”

Peter hesitates before he nods his head. It seems like he avoids looking at Steve. Meanwhile, Steve is relieved. He remembers being terrified of sleeping when his ma was working the night shift, but she ultimately always came home. Nightmares are something they can deal with. Peter is not hurt or sick and that is all that matters.

“When’s Dad coming home?” Peter asks, sniffing quietly. He is still standing in the doorway, looking ready to run.

“Very soon,” Steve says, swallowing his _I hope_. He pulls the blanket back on Tony’s side of the bed. “Why don’t you come here and we’ll wait together.”

Steve does not expect Peter to jump at the opportunity and come running into his arms, but it is easy to admit that the way he remains frozen in place hurts a bit. Rationally, it is only logical. Steve is just the man Peter’s father brought home one night and introduced as someone who would stay with them. _Forever_ is such a long time, especially for a child.

He tells himself to remain patient. If Peter wants to go back to his own room, they can work with that too. JARVIS is always there to watch over him, and Tony will be here within minutes if Steve tells him he is needed.

What feels like an eternity later, Peter comes into the room. The closer he comes to the bed, the more hurried his steps become. Deep down, Steve feels warm at having been deemed safe.

Steve helps Peter settle on the free side of the bed, pulling the blanket up around his shoulders once he is fully lying down. Despite never having imagined himself having children, the motions feel strangely familiar, comforting even.

Once they are both tucked in, Steve looks at Peter with what he hopes is a reassuring smile. “Do you want to tell me what you dreamed about?”

Immediately, Peter’s face closes off. “You’re not my dad.”

Steve winces in sympathy. He remembers having such a close connection to a parent. “No,” he says, not letting that near-rejection discourage him, “but I sometimes have bad dreams too.”

This confession visibly surprises Peter. “You do?” The quiver is not quite gone from his voice, but some curiosity has returned to his eyes.

“Yes. And I know why you want your dad.” Perhaps Steve should try to leave Tony out of the conversation, lest he makes his absence even more glaringly obvious, but they can hardly bond over the nature of Steve’s nightmares. “Tony helps me feel better after a bad dream too.”

“Does he tell you stories?” Peter asks, glancing at the book Steve has abandoned.

“Sometimes.” Steve smiles. Tony has a talent of turning his voice into a light Steve can follow back to reality. It does not even matter what he is talking about as long as he does not stop. “Sometimes he just holds me.”

Peter nods seriously but does not make a move to ask for either of those things. Instead, he looks up shyly. “Can we call him?”

Pepper is going to murder them if they cause Tony to leave this function, since it took her weeks to convince Tony to come in the first place. If they prove now that Peter does not want to stay home with just Steve, she will have a hard time getting Tony out ever again.

Still, Steve knows there is only one right thing to do. “Of course,” he says. “JARVIS, would you be so kind?”

One dial tone is all it takes for Tony to pick up. “What happened?” He sounds slightly out of breath and like he is steeling himself for bad news, but the moment his voice fills the air, Peter relaxes. His lip trembles as if he is going to cry again, although tears of relief this time.

“We’re all right, honey,” Steve says quickly to ban the worst fears from Tony’s mind immediately. They do not need Tony speeding here recklessly. “But we’re missing you.”

Before Tony can answer, Peter pipes up, “When are you coming home, Daddy?”

The way Tony’s voice changes whenever he is talking to his son will never cease to amaze Steve. All at once, it goes soft, full of love. The very moment Steve first heard Tony talking like that dissipated all his worries about entering a relationship with the infamous billionaire. His mother used to talk to Steve like that. To him, it is a sign of a good person.

“You’re sounding upset, underoos,” Tony says, all his attention shifting towards his son. The background noise through the phone cuts off abruptly, meaning he has gone somewhere private and is ready to leave if he has to. “Did Steve try to cook dinner again?”

“No.” Something very close to a giggle escapes Peter’s mouth, causing some of the weight to be lifted from Steve’s chest. If it hurts this much for him to see Peter in distress, he cannot imagine how it must be for Tony. “I had a bad dream.”

“And you went to Steve. That’s a very good idea,” Tony answers at once in a praising tone. “He always cheers me up when I’m sad too.”

“He’s helping,” Peter says, smiling shyly up at Steve.

Not for the first time, Steve realizes that he would do anything for this kid. Not just now, when he looks small and young and afraid. Peter’s well-being has become as important as Tony’s to him.

Incredibly gentle, Tony asks, “Want to tell me about it?”

“I dreamt –” Peter hiccups, half-burying his face against the pillow. “I dreamt you weren’t coming home.”

Steve is not surprised. Peter has already lost his mother, who kissed him goodbye one morning and went on a plane that crashed barely an hour after take-off. Despite his age, Peter is already familiar with grief and the fear that comes from the mere thought of losing _more_.

“Of course, I’m coming home, Peter,” Tony promises. “I won’t ever leave you.” There is that determination to make the world a better place for Peter, a safe place. “Also we have Steve to protect us.”

Goosebumps rise on Steve’s arm as he hears his own name said in Tony’s soft voice. This is not just for Peter’s sake. Sometimes Tony looks at him with that same once-in-a-lifetime wonder that makes Steve question what he did to deserve something this good. 

“He’s not there with you,” Peter argues stubbornly. It might be an instinctive response but he shifts a little closer towards Steve. Not yet close enough for Steve to deem it safe to offer comfort, but they are getting there.

“But Aunt Natasha is,” Tony says with a smile audible in his voice, “and she’s a lot stronger than Steve. She’ll get me home to you.”

Natasha had been Steve’s idea. No matter how much Tony resents the idea, he is a public figure and therefore a target. He is rather tight-lipped about how many close calls or actual kidnappings he has endured, but when Steve stopped an attempt made by a group of masked men after one of their dates, Tony showed himself more amenable to the idea of protection. All Steve had to do then was mention Peter, and now there is no social function or press release or even dinner where no one is watching over him. 

“Promise?” Peter asks, sounding so very young.

“Always.” Tony’s answer comes so promptly and so sure that it seems impossible that, during some bad nights, he has clung to Steve, worrying that he will never do right by Peter. “Do you need me to come right now?”

The expression on Peter’s face makes it obvious that he wants to say yes, but hearing his dad’s voice has already helped so much that he hesitates. “Won’t Auntie Pepper be mad?”

Steve knows she will make a show of it because someone has to think of Stark Industries. In the end, though, she is just as protective of Peter as everyone else who knows him.

“Not if I need to leave for you.”

Steve recognizes the urgency in Tony’s tone. Peter’s answer will not change much, Tony is already on his way, no matter what investor or board member he is going to anger with it. Peter will always come first.

Smiling shakily, Peter says, “I can wait for you with Steve.” This time he moves intentionally closer, trusting that Steve will open his arms for him. When he settles against Steve, it feels like the world has become infinitely lighter and impossibly heavy at the same time.

“That’s good,” Tony says. In a cheerful tone, he adds, “Make him tell you a story about Uncle Clint’s circus days. He can shoot arrows with his feet, did you know that?”

Peter looks up at Steve with big eyes, a smile tugging at his lips. “Love you, Dad.”

“Keep my bed warm until I’m home.”

Steve is not disappointed that Tony does not say anything to him. This was all about Peter, after all, and it will be only a matter of time until Tony is home. In fact, it is even a show of trust that Tony lets him deal with the situation on his own, without any last tips or orders. 

Silence washes over them, making Steve acutely feel Tony’s sudden absence. He glances at Peter, trying to hide his worry. Only somewhat surprised, he sees that it was unfounded. Much less tense, Peter snuggles closer into Steve’s arms, then looks up at him with big eyes.

“Can Uncle Clint really do that?” he asks, his voice not as small anymore but finally curious again.

“I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” Steve says eagerly. He sends a silent thank you to Tony for giving him something specific to entertain Peter with. If he had to come up with something on his own, he might have just made things worse again.

Steve launches into the story. Since Clint is the main protagonists, he does not even have to embellish much. The archer is just that crazy.

It does not take long for Peter to fall asleep with a small smile on his face. It feels like an accomplishment to have made him feel safe again, even if Tony did most of the work.

Only now that the excitement of the night is finally over, does Steve allow himself to analyse the tension knotting his shoulders. The weight of Peter is heavy in his arms, but it is not exactly unpleasant. It just comes with so much responsibility that Steve is not sure he is ready for. Tony says the same, though, and he is brilliant with his son. Being a parent seems to be all about tackling problems without ever being sure one is ready for them.

Steve is not Peter’s parent, of course. They have such a strange family, thrown together without regards to blood or sense that it does not matter much. Steve is here now, and he is here to stay. He is not Peter’s father, but he already loves him.

Half an hour later, Tony arrives slightly breathless in their bedroom. He stops short in the doorway, smiling at the picture presenting itself to him: Peter curled up against Steve’s side. Steve knows the softness he feels must be visible on his face. Tony’s expression dissipates his last worries of him overstepping.

Without much ceremony, Tony takes off his clothes. The expensive suit lands in a heap on the floor. For once, Steve does not have the heart to scold Tony for that. Every movement shows Tony’s impatience to be done with it and join his family.

He fishes a shirt and fresh boxers out of a drawer, manages to put both of them on inside-out, and comes to a halt before the bed. His face is so incredibly soft that Steve’s fingers itch for paper and coal to immortalize this expression.

“Thank you,” Tony says as he lays down, careful not to wake his son.

“Always,” Steve answers. He wonders how to thank Tony in return for giving him this, this family, this chance at happiness. In the ends, he decides no words are needed. He shifts slightly to put an arm over Peter to pull Tony closer until they are all three touching, keeping each other safe. This is everything. This is home.

**Author's Note:**

> You can also find this on my [tumblr](https://blancheludis.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think!


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